William Grant Still

1895 - 1978

About

William Grant Still (1895 – 1978), born in Woodville, Mississippi, began violin lessons in grammar school at age 14 and was self-taught in clarinet, saxophone, oboe, double bass, cello, and viola. At Oberlin College, in Boston, and in New York, Still honed his compositional skills by studying with George Andrews, Friedrich Lehmann, George W. Chadwich, Edgard Varèse. Besides Duke Ellington, he stands as one of the foremost composers of the Harlem Renaissance and is its greatest art-music composer. Among his well known works: Afro-American Symphony, Songs of Separation, Plainchant for American Symphony, Seven Traceries, The Little Song That Wanted to be A Symphony, three ballets – La Guiablesse, Sahdji, and Lenox Avenue, Levee Land, and A Bayou Legend. William Grant Still’s career was filled with milestones, which marked the growth of black society and its musical language. His Afro-American Symphony was the first large work by a black composer performed by a major orchestra and was the first symphonic work to use blues and jazz; he was the first black conductor active in the deep south; he was the first black composer to have an opera performed by major U.S. company; his Bayou Legend was the first opera by a black composer to be broadcast on national television and for this, he is called the Dean of Afro-American composers. William Grant Still’s compositional output consists of all forms, including more that 25 works for large orchestra, 5 symphonies, 4 ballets, 8 works for voice and orchestra, more than a dozen chamber compositions, many pieces for keyboard and accordion, songs, music for radio groups, and soundtracks of films and television. He is recognized as one of the great American composers.

Related Information

Biographies of black composers and songwriters, international dictionary of Black composer, http://www.williamgrantstillmusic.com/BiographicalNotes.htm

Works by William Grant Still